Dear Members of the Bates Community,

As the fall semester concludes and we all (I hope!) look ahead to some rest and relaxation over the holiday break, I write to share a quick note of gratitude.

First, Jon and I want to thank you for so warmly welcoming us into the Bates community. You have made us feel very much at home in a very short time, and we are awed every day by your open hearts and brilliant minds. Simply put, Bates is an amazing place with terrific people!

Of course, the depth of your compassion became, unfortunately, very necessary during and after the tragic events of October 25. Thank you again for your patience, your resilience and strength, your care for one another, and your care for our community. The way you rose to meet the demands of an unspeakable situation is something I will remember always.

I also want you to know that we committed to a thorough review of the college’s response to the emergency, and many of you (as well as many Bates parents) provided thoughtful feedback, either through surveys or in person. We held six separate in-person group consultations to review Bates’ emergency response approach and to discuss the specific response to the shelter-in-place; three open, in-person feedback sessions; and more than 550 people responded to the survey.

While the feedback indicated that most people were satisfied with the college’s response, we also identified several key areas for improvement. They fall into three categories: training and prevention, preparation, and communications. Examples of the actions we will focus on include (1) increasing campus community members’ readiness for emergencies through updated information and trainings; (2) reviewing decision-making and authorizations to minimize the amount of time between an incident and the first alert to the campus when appropriate; and (3) ensuring that faculty, staff, and students receive emergency text notifications unless they have intentionally opted out of those notifications.

I join the Senior Emergency Response Group in thanking you for sharing your observations, which we take very seriously—and which will help us strengthen our response to and readiness for future situations.

So warm wishes for safe and easy travels, whether you are going across town or across the country, and a heartfelt thank you for all you do to make Bates the wonderful place that it is. Enjoy your break, and I will look forward to seeing you in the new year.

Warmly,
   Garry